Halloween is undoubtably one of LAs biggest nights – for all ages but especially the Peter Pan generation who refuse to grow up. Myself included!
Santa Monica Blvd is usually insane and becomes rambunctious and debauched in all manner of ways. But alas for the last couple of years no more – thank you Covid! However I’m sure most neighborhoods (I’m looking at you Hancock park!) will still allow some sort of trick or treating, social distance style.
Plus the Cat and the Fiddle pub on Highland Avenue are doing a Spooktacular Prix fixe dinner that looks yummy and has an adult costume prize. See the menu, pictured, right.
But one thing that has become my highlight over the scary period is to attend Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios….but it is not for the faint of heart. My friend Kimry lasted all of 30 minutes before having a full on panic attack and had to leave the park after riding the Harry Potter ride: it’s THAT SCARY!
Being considered one of the top haunts in Southern California, each year the pressure is on for the team to deliver top-notch entertainment for rabid fans who are all in for the Halloween Horror Nights experience. Needless to say, the team has done it again, providing plenty for fans to enjoy for that high sticker price. While the general set-up of the maze patterns is standard Halloween Horror Nights, the team managed to create memorable scares with top-notch maze designs, smart Covid-19 protocol-friendly scares via videos, projections, and animatronics, and the like. Some of maze highlights for me this year included:
Universal Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein Lives. Synopsis: The Bride of Frankenstein is back, stepping out of the shadows and taking her fate into her own bloody hands. Recoil in horror as the late doctor’s experiment becomes the experimenter. She’ll find a way to bring her mate back to life, and no monster alive or dead can stop her.
Immediately at the top of our maze list and for good reason. The set-up of the scares is such that it not only sets up pivotal moments of the Bride’s storyline but also aimed to spook incoming guests. The layout and production design of the maze is top-notch and, as an obsessed fangirl of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein novel, the transitional pages that guests will get to glimpse help provide the necessary clarity to where we’re at in the Bride’s journey. For fans of Universal’s Classic Horror monsters, this will be a treat. Heck, for Universal Studios Hollywood fans that remember Van Helsing: Fortress Dracula and Universal’s House of Horrors, this will take you back to those walk-throughs. What brings the entire maze together is the soundtrack created by Slash, which gives the energy in the maze a punchy vibe. All in all, very much enjoyed it and think the maze is a must.
Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Synopsis: You’ve seen the 1974 horror classic. Now it’s your turn to experience it for yourself. Enter the dilapidated Sawyer house and meet Leatherface and his demented family of merciless butchers. Will you make it out in one piece? Or in pieces?
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre maze was a lot of fun. The set design perfectly encapsulated the Sawyer house that we recall from the horror classic, so it was like a mini-adventure through the cannibalistic den of ick. If anyone was wondering which maze this year was going to get the immersive smell element, well, this maze won that lotto. Be warned. There is a mixture of flesh smell, cat urine, and something unexplained when you walk through the second half of the maze. The sound design helped provide further immersion and, at times, I’d argue that you didn’t really feel entirely like you were in a maze because the house element was so strong.
The Exorcist. Synopsis: The film that fueled your worst nightmares has returned to Halloween Horror Nights. Enter the most haunting scenes from the film as 12-year-old Regan is possessed by a demon, possibly the devil himself. It’s a battle of the wills between good and evil.
This maze and I have a bit of a beef. I remember when it debuted back in 2017 and feeling incredibly let down by the end result. Going into this maze this time, my expectations were restructured to cushion myself from disappointment. However, I was pleasantly surprised. The overall set-up is similar, with long black hallways guiding us to each progression of Regan’s possession and subsequent exorcism. This time, though, the production design team made sure to provide plenty of pop-out scares, projections, and the like to break apart that darkness. Because, when the maze first debuted, this was not the case. There were just long hallways that seemed to merely exist to get attendees from Point A and Point B. With all of that said, I applaud the team for using the space better this time around and, while I’m sure COVID-19 protocols greatly reduced what could be done with the actors, the utilization of props, projections, etc., masked a lot of that impact and made the maze work well.
Terror Tram: The Ultimate Purge. Synopsis: The Terror Tram is back. Unfortunately for you, some of the most iconic Purgers from each of the terrifying Purge films have taken over and are running rampant. It’s every man and woman for themselves as masked and costumed marauders are out to ambush anyone outside during Purge hours. So climb aboard the Terror Tram at your own risk. Because once you get off the tram it’s no rules. No laws. No escape.
The Terror Tram is one of those sections of Halloween Horror Nights that has been mixed over the years. Some years, it’s ace. Other years, the scares fail to keep you distracted and you’re just left focusing on how long until you reach the tram again. Drawing inspiration from The Purge franchise, with the most recent The Forever Purge joining the ranks, there’s plenty of vivid imagery for the team to pull from. Relying on Universal Studio Tour’s backlot setpieces like the huge War of the Worlds setpiece and more, finding ways to merge those various properties together to still scream The Purge was a devil’s task. But I do think the team succeeded.
Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. Synopsis: Evil has returned. Michael Myers has escaped, and he’s on his way back to Haddonfield spreading blood and mayhem in his wake. Your only hope is Dr. Loomis – Myers’ fire-scarred former psychiatrist. But will he get there before it’s too late? It’s clear that this time, Michael Myers is unstoppable.
I’m going to put myself on blast so you don’t have to. I have not seen this particular installment of the Halloween franchise. We can tar and feather me later though because, viewing this maze from the perspective of someone who hasn’t seen the film, the narrative still holds strong enough to let even the most clueless person understand what’s going on. The scares themselves are predictable, with Myers’ appearance forever looming at opportune moments. While predictable, the scares are still solid. One way or another, it’s definitely going to get you.
Final thoughts: Overall, based on everything, I do believe Halloween Horror Nights is worth a visit if you feel comfortable attending. There are precautions taken with plexiglass in the mazes to keep both actors and attendees safe, though, it is to be noted that there are plenty of open portions of mazes that do not have that feature. In those, the actors wear masks. Taking into account the pricing, I do think if those who purchased General Admission tickets create a solid strategy to tackle everything first, then the price would be worth it. Last night, with multiple breaks, with our equivalent of a RIP/Express pass, we were able to knock out all the mazes by 11:30pm. For those who require handicap transport, I do recommend going to Guest Relations and acquiring a pass. They do have transport options available, but there is an emphasis on those passes when you go to use that transport. With all of that said, the Halloween season has officially begun here in Southern California. Be safe and have fun!
Tickets are available at Hollywood.HalloweenHorrorNights.com. All tickets purchased online provide guests early admission with entry beginning at 6:00 p.m. each night of “Halloween Horror Nights.” And make sure you have your proof of vaccination cards at the ready!
